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What women want

Sarah Davies spent nearly two years scouring the GTA to buy her first home.

She was clear about what she wanted and was willing to take as long as she needed to find it.

Fairground Lofts in Woodbridge, by Wycliffe Homes, have been popular with women buyers.

Flaire condominiums, at the Shops at Don Mills, has prompted comments about it's safety and pedestrian-friendly location from interested women buyers.

Picasso condominiums, in Toronto's Entertainment District, attracts women buyers who like its proximity to transit, downtown offices and the area's sshops, bars, restaurants and coffee houses.

Health-care administrator Sarah Davies chose a 700-square-foot condo at Fairground Lofts because of high-level features and finishes in the suites, and because the building will have good security systems. (Aaron Harris / for the Toronto Star)

"It didn’t feel like a condo or small space. There are huge windows," says buyer Sarah Davies of the condo she's bought at Fairground Lofts in Woodbridge where half the purchasers have been women. (Aaron Harris / for the Toronto Star)

“A big selling point was that it was not a highrise," says Sarah Davies, seen here at the model suite at Fairground Lofts in Woodbridge. "It felt like more of a home, and the suites had great upgrades." (Aaron Harris / for the Toronto Star)

“I was looking for a property that had a very specific layout. A lot of the places I’d seen had layouts that weren’t ideal. I was also looking for higher-end features and security was definitely important to me and very high on my list,” says the Toronto health-care administrator.

“The layouts were wonderful and that specific property has the feeling of a gated community, with two heritage houses flanking the driveway,” she says. “A big selling point was that it was not a highrise. It felt like more of a home, and the suites had great upgrades.

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“And it didn’t feel like a condo or small space. There are huge windows,” Davies added.

Nettie Scalzo, a 30-year-old teacher, has a very similar story. She also spent two years looking for her first condo purchase and wanted to buy downtown, but found the prices too expensive. So she bought a two-bedroom unit at The Station in North York, steps from the Wilson subway stop.

Davies and Scalzo are an important demographic to the GTA condominium market: the single female buyer. Their wish lists are quite different than an investor or male buyer: they value security, location is important and they are discriminating about floor plans, features and finishes. They see their condo as their home and retreat.

According to the She-conomy website (she-conomy.com), females influence 91 per cent of new home purchases, whether they are single or with a partner. Women also account for 85 per cent of all consumer purchase decisions.

At Fairground Lofts where Davies made her purchase, nearly 50 per cent of buyers have been female. That, initially, was a surprise to Wycliffe Homes president Gary Bensky. But he then realized why the development had a lot appeal for women buyers.

“It’s not a highrise, so there are no empty elevators or dark corridors or dark underground parking lots,” says Bensky. “You get out of your car and walk into your unit. It’s well-lit and we’re going to put in video surveillance.”

Security is a priority for female buyers, agrees David Hirsch of Brandy Lane, developer/builder of The Station where Scalzo bought her home. And ,like Scalzo, 10 to 15 per cent of buyers at The Station are solo women.

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“If you don’t have a 24-hour concierge, forget it. They are looking for a very secure environment. Women buyers ask about it more than anyone else. Their condo is their haven and they don’t want a free-access scenario.”

Security can apply to more than the building itself, says Christina Giannone, sales and marketing director for FRAM Building Group, developer of Flaire, one of three projects it has at the Shops at Don Mills.

“One of the things we’ve heard about from women is the safety and security of where our project is located,” Giannone says. “It’s so pedestrian-friendly. You can walk to the grocery store any time of day or night and feel comfortable.”

Location definitely matters to female buyers.

“The Station is near a subway line which is very convenient for young people like me,” says Scalzo. “I don’t have to drive to work and I don’t own a car. The condo is close to Yorkdale Mall and other plazas.”

Location is a big plus for Flaire, says Giannone: “More and women are coming in because of the community built up through the Shops of Don Mills. It’s got great access to downtown Toronto, just north of a strong employment area. They are buying because they love the location because so uniquely placed in Toronto. It is a home, somewhere they can put down roots and settle.”

The Entertainment District in downtown Toronto is popular with women buyers. And the Picasso condominium is a building they are drawn to.

“The Picasso attracts a lot of women buyers, the reason being the proximity to transit and work and the shops, bars, restaurants and coffee houses,” says Tradeup Real Estate president Michael Budovitch, broker for the condo by the Goldman Group and the Monarch Group.

Bensky’s Fairground Lofts project in Woodbridge offers the lure of location but for a different reason: many buyers are those who have lived in the area and don’t want to leave the community.

Location was certainly key to Fairground buyer Davies — but not for the same reasons.

Unfamiliar with Woodbridge before she bought, Davies was “completely taken back by the quaintness” of Old Woodbridge Village.

“It has this really wonderful feeling of home. It feels like a community and I get a feeling of belonging. And the amenities in the area are abundant. I can walk to everything.”

Another trend Bensky, Hirsch and Giannone have noticed is that the women buyers are choosing two-bedroom suites as Scalzo and Davies have.

“They are generally buying their first place and what’s more interesting is they are buying larger units,” says Bensky. “They are not buying little one-bedrooms. Their demographic profile is very different than the investor profile or single-man profile.”

“Shocking that it may be, our two bedrooms at Flaire are the best sellers, which is different than downtown,” says Giannone.

“I was very impressed with the square footage of two bedrooms,” says Scalzo of her 995-square-foot suite at The Station. “One thing that stood out for me was that it had a foyer and an open entrance. You weren’t just walking into someone’s kitchen. I was impressed with the layout. There was a lot of space and it was planned out well.”

Davies echoes similar thoughts about her two-bedroom, 700-square-foot condo at Fairground Lofts. “The layout was what sold me. In all of the condos I previously visited, you had to walk through the kitchen to get to the washroom and I didn’t like that. Here, it’s beside the bedroom and you don’t see it from the kitchen.”

Other features that resounded with the two women were large windows and upscale features (such as granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and European cabinetry) that were included as standard.

They are looking at their condos as long-term homes and appreciate beautiful features and finishes.

“The Picasso’s building design is not a traditional glass tower, so it enables the suites to be very innovative,” Budovitch says. “So many are one-of-a-kind. It’s a fun building with several different floor plates.”

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